Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a holder for a flat wafer, in particular a semiconductor wafer in an apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor surface with the aid of brushes. The holder contains a carrier part, a plurality of carrying arms, which extend in a spider-like manner from the carrier part, a plurality of bearing devices, which are intended for positioning the wafer horizontally and are each assigned to a carrying arm, and a plurality of guide rollers, which are intended for positioning the wafers vertically and are each mounted rotatably on the carrying arm.
Such holders are known in general and are used, in particular, for determining the position of the semiconductor wafers for a cleaning and drying process following chemical-mechanical polishing. Chemical-mechanical polishing processes serve, within the context of the production of semiconductor components, for leveling out trench fillings, metal plugs, intermediate oxides or intermetallics. In the case of chemical-mechanical polishing, the semiconductor wafer which is to be processed is forced, by a wafer carrier, against a rotatably disposed polishing table, on which there is located an elastically perforated bearing device containing a polishing material. The semiconductor wafer and polishing table here rotate in opposite directions, as a result of which the protruding locations on the surface of the semiconductor wafer are polished away until a planar wafer surface is achieved.
Following the chemical-mechanical polishing operation, however, impurities remain behind on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, and these have to be removed before the semiconductor wafer is processed further. For this purpose, following the completion of the chemical-mechanical polishing process, the semiconductor wafer is transferred, with the aid of an automatic apparatus, from the polishing installation into a cleaning installation, in which the semiconductor wafer is processed by a brush apparatus, a so-called brush cleaner, in order to free the semiconductor surface of the impurities. During the brush cleaning, the semiconductor surface is flushed continuously with a wetting-agent-containing a cleaning liquid, for example ammonia or distilled water. Following the completion of the brush cleaning, the semiconductor wafer is then freed of the cleaning liquid by centrifugal drying.
The brush cleaning and the centrifugal drying preferably take place here in a combined installation, in order to avoid further transfer of the semiconductor wafer. For the combined brush-cleaning and drying process, the semiconductor wafer is inserted into a holder which, on the one hand, allows the semiconductor wafer to rotate, this being brought about by the rotation of the brushes on the semiconductor surface during the brush-cleaning process, and, on the other hand, makes it possible for the semiconductor wafer to be centrifuged at a high speed during the drying process.
The holder for the semiconductor wafer generally has a turntable from which there extends, in a spider-like manner, preferably four symmetrically disposed carrying arms, on which the semiconductor wafer is seated by way of its outer border. For positioning the semiconductor wafer horizontally on the carrying arms, use is made here of a plastic bearing device at the top ends of the carrying arms, the semiconductor wafer resting thereon. For positioning the semiconductor wafer vertically, guide rollers are provided on the carrying arms. The guide rollers enclose the semiconductor wafer laterally and secure it. The guide rollers are mounted rotatably on the carrying arms in order to make it possible for the semiconductor wafer to rotate during the brush cleaning. The turntable of the holder, furthermore, is driven by a motor in order for it to be possible for the entire holder to execute a rotary movement for the centrifugal drying of the semiconductor wafer following the brush cleaning.
The turntable and the carrying arms of the holder generally are formed of coated steel. However, the process-induced contact with the chemical cleaning agent used during the brush cleaning and also the polishing-material residues from the preceding chemical-mechanical polishing operation, as well as the pronounced mechanical loading as a result of the high speeds during centrifugal drying, give rise to the risk of the coating loosening from the holder elements and of the steel located there-beneath corroding.
In the case of the known holders, the guide rollers for positioning the semiconductor wafer vertically are disposed on accommodating pins, provided on the carrying arms, and are further fixed by plastic plates. The accommodating pins for the guide rollers, like the turntable and the carrying arms of the holder, are produced from coated steel. However, the rotation of the guide rollers during the brush-cleaning process may give rise to abrasion of the coating becoming established, the abrasion resulting in the guide rollers rotating non-uniformly and thus in increased wear. A further problem with the known holders may arise during exchange of the guide rollers since there is a risk, during removal, of the plastic plates damaging the coating of the accommodating pin. Furthermore, the plastics plates can generally only be used once.
The bearing surfaces provided on the carrying arms for positioning the semiconductor wafers horizontally are usually produced from plastic, preferably POM. In the case of the bearing devices, in turn, there is a risk of them breaking up as a result of the continual contact with the cleaning agent used in the brush-cleaning operation and/or the polishing material used in the chemical-mechanical polishing operation, which then results in additional impurities on the semiconductor surface. Since the bearing surfaces on the carrying arms are disposed a fair way in front of the guide rollers, the semiconductor wafer is also supported a fair way inward in the radial direction, with the result that little clearance remains for the brush installation on the holder, which may result in pronounced bending of, and thus damage to, the semiconductor wafer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,199 discloses a holder which is intended for semiconductor wafers in a brush-cleaning installation and in the case of which the bearing device for positioning the semiconductor wafer horizontally and the rotatable guide roller for positioning the same vertically are configured in one piece, this combined positioning configuration being mounted rotatably on a carrying arm with the aid of a ball bearing. The single-piece configuration allows simplified production and reliable mounting of the semiconductor wafers. The disadvantage with this embodiment, however, is the complicated rotary mounting via a ball bearing, which results in high installation and maintenance outlay.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,886, furthermore, discloses a bolt mounting for a guide roller, which serves for transmitting a rotary movement from a motor to the guide roller.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a holder for semiconductor wafers in a brush-cleaning installation which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices of this general type, which is intended for semiconductor wafers in a brush-cleaning installation and is distinguished by ease of maintenance and straightforward installation and, furthermore, reliably avoids damage to, and impurities on, the semiconductor wafer.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a holder for a wafer. The holder contains a carrier part, a plurality of carrying arms extending in a spider-shaped manner from the carrier part and each having a bore formed therein, a plurality of bolts, and a plurality of guide rollers for positioning the wafer vertically and each mounted rotatably on one of the carrying arms. Each of the guide rollers has an annular collar for positioning the wafer horizontally. Each of the guide rollers with the annular collar functions as a rotationally symmetrical sleeve having a through-bore formed therein and secured in a rotatable manner on one of the carrying arms by way of one of the bolts disposed in the through-bore. Each of the guide rollers has an underside with an extension resting on one of the carrying arms, the extension having an abutment surface with a diameter being smaller than a diameter of the rotationally symmetrical sleeve to achieve a reduced surface friction. Each of the bolts has a bottom bolt section with a self-securing thread for fastening in the bore on one of the carrying arms, a central bolt section for bearing the rotationally symmetrical sleeve with a sliding action, and a top bolt section with a hat-shape for positioning the rotationally symmetrical sleeve vertically.
The holder according to the invention is for a flat wafer, in particular a semiconductor wafer in an apparatus for cleaning the semiconductor surface with the aid of brushes. The holder is distinguished in that the bearing devices for positioning the semiconductor wafer horizontally are each formed as an annular collar on the guide roller, which is guided rotatably on the carrying arm and serves for positioning the semiconductor wafer vertically.
The single-piece configuration of the bearing device for positioning the semiconductor wafer horizontally and of the rotatable guide roller for positioning the same vertically makes it possible to dispense with a conventional holder component, which results in simplified production and installation. Furthermore, the ease of maintenance of the holder is improved to a considerable extent since, when the guide rollers and the wafer-bearing devices are exchanged, only one component has to be exchanged. As a result, there is a reduction in the maintenance times and thus in the risk of the cleaning brushes drying up when the cleaning installation is at a standstill. Furthermore, the configuration of the wafer-bearing devices as collars on the guide rollers reduces to a considerable extent the abrasion of the wafer-bearing devices, and thus the risk of contamination of the semiconductor surface. Furthermore, configuring the wafer-bearing device as a collar on the guide roller results in that the semiconductor wafer is also only supported radially at the outermost border, with the result that there is a greater amount of clearance on the holder for brush installation, and the risk of the semiconductor wafer bending can thus also be reduced to a considerable extent.
According to the invention, the guide roller with the collar-shaped bearing device is configured as a rotationally symmetrical sleeve with a through-bore, the guide roller being secured on the carrying arm by way of a retaining bolt formed as a pan-head screw with a self-securing thread. This allows straightforward installation and removal of the guide rollers, since all that is required is for the retaining bolt to be removed. The latter, furthermore, can be reused, in particular when, like the carrier part and the carrying arms, it is formed of high-alloy, chemically resistant special steel preferably surface-treated in an electropolishing operation.
Furthermore, the guide roller is configured according to the invention such that disposed on an underside is an extension by way of which the guide roller rests on the carrying arm, the abutment surface of the extension having a diameter which is smaller than the guide-roller diameter, in order to reduce the surface friction upon rotation of the guide roller during the brush-cleaning process. The reduced surface friction, in turn, ensures reduced abrasion of the guide roller and thus a longer service life.
According to a preferred embodiment, the carrier part and the plurality of carrying arms, which extend in a spider-shaped manner from the carrier part, are produced in one piece as a rotationally symmetrical unit from high-alloy chemically resistant special steel, the surface preferably being electropolished. This configuration of the carrying structure of the holder results in that only a single component has to be produced, it being possible to dispense with a coating. This allows the production costs of the holder to be reduced to a considerable extent. Furthermore, this eliminates the risk of abrasion of the coating by the mechanical loading during the brushing and subsequent drying processes as well as chemical removal of the coating by the cleaning agents used during the brush-cleaning process and by the polishing materials previously used during chemical-mechanical polishing.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the surface friction can be further reduced if an extension is also formed on the top side of the guide roller, the extension having the retaining bolt, configured as a pan-head screw, seated on it by way of the underside, and being configured with a diameter which is smaller than the guide-roller diameter. This configuration makes it possible for the risk of abrasion of the guide roller to be reduced and thus both for the service life of the latter to be extended and for additional surface contamination of the semiconductor wafer to be prevented.
According to a further preferred embodiment, there is provided on each carrying arm a horizontal supporting surface on which the guide roller is disposed, there being seated on the supporting surface, radially in front of the guide roller, a bearing device with a stop surface, of which the top side is set back, preferably by at least one millimeter, in relation to the collar-shaped bearing device on the guide roller. The additional bearing device serves as a securing element that allows the semiconductor wafer to be positioned straightforwardly and reliably on the holder, preferably by a robot arm. This is because, if the robot arm does not set down the semiconductor wafer in the desired position, the stop surface of the additional bearing device, as a sliding plane, ensures that the semiconductor wafer automatically slides onto the collar-shaped bearing device on the guide roller. Setting the stop surface of the additional bearing device back in relation to the collar-shaped bearing results in that on the guide roller, at the same time, ensures that there is no contact between the semiconductor wafer and the stop surface when the wafer is located in its desired position on the collar-shaped bearing device on the guide roller.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a holder for semiconductor wafers in a brush-cleaning installation, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.